Sweat The Small Stuff!

I can't tell you how many times I walk into a martial arts studio and see the following:

Shoes laying all over the floor
Students leaning against the walls
Belts on the floor
Belts not tied correctly
Class looking unorganized
Equipment all over the place

Instructors and owners need to remember that in order to preach discipline, you have to teach discipline through your own actions. Martial arts teaches organization, pride, discipline, and order. If I'm tripping over shoes walking in the door, watching lazy kids lean against the walls, and seeing belts tied sloppily, I immediately know that this school doesn't take its discipline or pride seriously.

If you look at the larger picture, these inadequacies don't seem like they are a big deal. However, it is important to understand that a lack of discipline from the staff of a school leads to a lack of discipline from the students, which in turn undermines education and growth. If you don't sweat the small stuff it is going to come back to haunt you in two ways:

1. Potential customers are initially turned off by your failure to do the easy things and will never get a chance to see how good your program might be. If potentials don't experience your potential it is the worst failure.

2. The overall quality of your program will eventually be brought down.

I also see this lack of attention to detail as an assault on curriculum quality in a school. After all, if you don't expect your students to put their shoes in a neat line, tie their belt correctly, bow correctly, and refrain from leaning against the wall then how do you expect them to practice at home, develop great technique, and stick with your program? You are directly undermining your retention rate.

We all know the importance of retention. Besides having a quality program, in order to have a high retention rate you have to teach students how to persevere. The root of perseverence is hard work and dedication. You can't be a hard worker if you don't have discipline because practicing and constant class attendance relies on discipline.

Teaching attention to small details in life helps students learn to see small details in technique. This circle of underlying causes for retention and loss is strongly rooted in your expectations of your students.

The bottom line is that if you want to hold your students to high standards for testing and development of technique, you have to hold them to equal standards with regards to discipline and home life. At my school we have a specific place for the shoes to be put neatly, we teach the students how to tie their belts and expect them to do so correctly on their own, we teach them respect for their belts and their uniforms, we don't allow them to lean on walls or lay down, they bow with their feet together, they respond yes sir or yes ma'am, and we give them chore sheets they are responsible for and that their parents grade them on. These types of non-technique expectations are the very same expectations that teach them how to develop their techniques properly, teach them how to be dedicated students, and help them become better overall students. Of course the adults don't get chore sheets, but they are held to equally high standards with regards to everything else. After all, martial arts is about personal development and if you don't sweat the small stuff you're going to end up losing in the long run.